Sandra Martini's Success Strategies

5 Reasons Most Small Businesses Fail

Reality: According to the SBA, 63% of all small businesses fail in the first 5 years.

OUCH! It sounds harsh, but it's true. And having been in business for over 6 years, I can tell you I've seen many colleagues go the way of "have to get a job" in order to put food on the table and take care of their families.

And the sad part, many of those businesses could have succeeded. It's generally not a lack of ideas, technology is rarely the issue and with the low cost of doing business online, it's often not money.

When Clarity Costs. . .

We all want clarity -- clarity of purpose, clarity of knowing who we are, clarity around the offers we make in sharing our gifts with others.

There comes a certain point, however, when clarity costs:

• Clarity costs time -- we often spend so much time thinking about how to get clarity that little else happens
• Clarity costs energy -- we often spend so much time analyzing and reanalyzing what we're doing (or not doing) that we have no energy left for other pursuits
• Clarity costs money -- spending so much time thinking and analyzing means little time for producing programs, products and services and less time for sharing them with others

For today, take pleasure in being unsure. Revel in the muddle. Embrace the gray.

And as you sit unclear about your life purpose, choose one thing you can to do generate extra revenue this month.

You don't have to love it.  You don't have to want to do it forever. By doing it, you'll learn if you enjoy it. . .or not.  And then move on to the next thing.

Gaining clarity around what you do comes from DOING, not thinking about doing.

3 Ways To Alienate Your Peeps a.k.a. "How NOT to Market"

 

 

As I put the final touches on my Escalator Marketing(tm) report and what it means to businesses of all industries -- online and offline -- there are several things which have hit my inbox this week as great examples of how NOT to market your business and I want to share a few of them here.

1. I received 3 emails from someone whose list I've been on for well over a year and received so few communications that I completely forgot I was on her list (okay, that's a mistake in itself, but not the one I'm focusing on).  The 1st email mentioned that she's been busy and asked how I was (that's it...just a few words). I forget what the second was and the 3rd is to sell me a $700 program.  Seriously? No contact in "forever" and then sell me a $700 program after asking how I am? There are no words.
2. Another program offer/sales page talking about how "in demand" the coach is and that she isn't often able to include 1-on-1 time with her clients, but will for a limited time as part of a larger program (limited time and number of people not included in her sales page) and ending with how much she cares about my success and always overdelivers. There's no doubt that she and I differ on the definition of "overdeliver".
3. The following is an excerpt from an email sent to me yesterday (name withheld for privacy reasons): "Hi Sandra, I have been in a couple of programs recently. One at a platinum level that I still could not talk directly to my coach unless in a small group 1 hour call once per month. . .I am currently trying to leave a program that is not delivering what it sold and certainly not giving me the real information I need to move forward to a profitable business model." The concerns here are obvious: 1/ This individual will likely never invest in anything else offered by either of the two program hosts she's currently involved with, 2/ She may have shared her poor experiences with her friends/colleagues who will have less than overwhelming respect for the program hosts and 3/ Others in the same programs are likely feeling/experiencing the same lack of happiness/results  -- all of which have longer term impact for the programs' hosts.

Marketing our businesses isn't just the promotion/launching of new programs, products and services. Or posting on social media and our blogs. Or sending out a consistent ezine.

Marketing our businesses takes places every day in every action and interaction -- with current clients, former clients and aquaintances. It's how we show up in everything we do.

In other words. . ."Ordinary things, done consistently, create extraordinary AND consistent results."  :-)

If inspired, please share some of the "marketing missteps" you've encountered below. . .

 

 

 

 

Facebook Faux Pas

I'm sponsoring a Free Gift site through July 9th -- 22 different entrepreneurs, including me, created a free giveaway (not the "same old" gift on their sites).

Depending on the biz owner and who she serves (yep, all women), the gifts are for business owners, consumers, moms, caregivers or a combo and include some pretty amazing info.

To help get the word out -- after all, there's no general opt-in required, sign up only for those gifts which interest you -- I sent out a Facebook event invite.

And while we're all bombarded with Facebook event invites, there are several things you can choose to do:

1. Accept the invite -- good to do if you're attending or have an interest in
2. Remove the event from your listing -- easily done by you or a team member
3. Decline the invite -- also easily done by you or a team member
4. Ignore the invite -- easiest short-term...long-term they clutter up your Facebook management page

What doesn't make sense however, is to write on the Event Wall "Thank you for the invitation, but I will not be able to attend" -- an obvious cookie cutter phrase used by several who didn't bother to see that there's nothing to attend.  :-(

I'm all for simplifying what you do and how you do it.  And I'm certainly all for the use of trained, qualified team members to help do that.

It has to make sense however. . .otherwise we can just look plain silly.  :-)

And if you'd like to see the gifts being offered, please visit www.FreeFromUsToYou.com

A Tale of Two Mindsets

Recently, I sent an email declaring my “wish for you” – the wish is simple in nature, although a bit more complex to achieve:

 

No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you earn passive revenue.

 

There are, of course, several things involved in achieving this goal:

 

1.   You must have information which your ideal clients are willing to pay for (and it’s a good idea to know “who” your ideal clients are)

2.   You must have back end systems in place to collect monies, automatically provide the digital product purchased and follow-up with your new clients

3.   You must know how and where to market your product, and your business, so your ideal clients know how to find you

4.   . . .and more.

 

And to note that the above is possible whether or not you have a shopping cart solution.

Marketing Pyramid. Marketing Funnel. Marketing Escalator?

The terms "marketing pyramid" and "marketing funnel" are commonplace in the business world -- yet they never felt quite right to me.

It struck me why this past weekend. . .

I hope you enjoyed the video. . .if inspired, please leave your thoughts below. 

And, if you're interested in learning more, please visit www.CreateYourBestFallEver.com for info on my upcoming program. :-)

First I was sad. . .and then I got mad

If you've been following me for at least a few weeks, you probably know that I'm hosting a new Create Your Best Fall Ever program starting next week -- one where you're guaranteed to walk away with a mapped out revenue plan, after Day 1.

While speaking with someone about the program this week, she asked about the value, sharing that she's enrolled in several programs which cost multiple times the amount of this one despite offering a lot less.

And that's when I got sad. . .

In a totally separate conversation, a new client shared that she got more value from an hour with me than in the high end programs she's participated in to date.

. . .and that's when I got mad. . .

Of all the trends, hype and BS we see in the online world, there's one which saddens me more than most.

It's the perception that it's not just acceptable, but necessary to charge obscene prices (my opinion) so that clients step up, do the work and become engaged in THEIR own businesses.

Seriously? "We're" saying that unless you shell out tens of thousands of dollars, you won't show up for your business?

It makes no sense to me.

Why would you own your own business -- with all the rewards and sacrifices it entails -- if you're not ready and willing to do the work?

This isn't about learning a new skill, hiring a consultant to help optimize your business, or partnering with a strategist to ensure you're getting the most out of the time, energy and money you're spending.

It's about being told/believing you need to pay thousands of dollars to be accountable to someone other than yourself -- trust me, no one cares more about your business, your success (as you define it) and your impact more than YOU.

Of course, there's also the latest, and perfected by many, trend of limiting access so that it's easier to reach some heads of state than it is a coach -- all based on the perception that the higher the prices and the lower the access, the better the info. 

Bullshit!

I'm calling for a return to sanity.

Are you with me?

The Entrepreneur's Model: Why You're Not Making Money, Part 2

One of the primary things new clients come to me with is a list of everything they're doing in their business (and it's A LOT) and confusion over why, with all the activity and, yes, even accomplishment, they're not making the type of revenue they know they're capable of.

Today's quick 1-minute video explains the reason. . .

 

 

If you're inspired, please leave a comment below.  And if you're ready to break the cycle and start generating consistent and sustainable revenue in your business, please visit From Your Vision Board to Reality: Create Your Best Fall Ever here. . .you'll be glad you did. :-)

Are you a victim of the “6 Figure Myth”?

Have you fallen victim to the “6 Figure Myth”?

You know, the myth that so many gurus perpetuate which implies that once you “break through” (sounds hard!) to 6 Figures, all will be well:

* You’ll pay off your mortgage and invest in a bigger home

* You’ll take multiple tropical vacations

* You’ll convert those 6 Figures to millions while working 4 hours a week

You get the idea.

Fact is, it’s a myth. All of it.

The Entrepreneurs' Model -- Why You're Not Making Money, Part 1

I have a quick 3-minute video to share with you which shows The Entrepreneurs' Model and why most entrepreneurs/small business owners aren't making any money.

If inspired, please leave your comments below. . .